Return to the Hundred Acre Wood

Many years ago David Benedictus wrote a couple of short stories and submitted them to the trustees of the Milne estate. Then they asked him to submit some more, and altogether the collection was eventually published as Return to the Hundred Acre Wood, the first compilation of new Pooh tales since 1928.

Throughout this book Benedictus manages to capture the wry humour and innocent attitude of Milne’s original stories and to uphold the themes of friendship, discovery and the simple pleasures of childhood. It is also a step back and slightly away from how Disney has developed the characters and stories since they purchased the rights in the 1960s.  I really enjoyed the timelessness of these individual tales and the laconic, endless-summer-days feel.

I wouldn’t say I am a huge fan of Pooh, but I found these new stories quaint and engaging. There is a story in which Pooh goes in search of honey, another where they are introduced to the game of cricket and my favourite, where it stops raining forever, and something slinky comes out of the river, where we are introduced to a new, major character – Lottie the Otter. Lottie is a spunky addition to the usual beloved crowd, although my favourite is, and always will be Eeyore who, I am very pleased to note, remains his usual melancholy, dour self.

The illustrations — or decorations as they are referred to in the book — are just gorgeous, with Mark Burgess paying homage to E.H Shepard’s original work. I found myself repeatedly stopping mid-story to ooh and ahh over the intricate little water colours which brought the stories and characters to life.  I especially loved the map of the Hundred Acre Wood at the front and the full page drawings. The hardback version is definitely something special and would make a beautiful gift for any lover of Pooh, or child under ten, and is something that can be passed down through the generations.

As this is a collection of short stories each chapter can be read in isolation making it the perfect classroom or bedtime read.

 If you loved the original Winnie-the-Pooh stories you are sure to love these too as David Benedictus and Mark Burgess have done a truly wonderful job of encapsulating the values and characters of Milne and Shepard’s work.